Classic Tale, Modern Times
by Lila-Veronica
Summary: Basically just as the title says, this is a modern version of P&P, with the storyline as faithful to the original as I could reasonably make it. M rated for unknown possibilities in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Elizabeth woke with sunlight streaming into her room, promising a fresh, clear day to be had outside. Beautiful morning or not, she would happily have turned over and gone back to sleep but for the fact that she was meeting Jane on the golf course at 7am. She knew she would enjoy it once she was outside, breathing in the brisk morning air, but the effort of getting out of bed almost cancelled out her good intentions of exercise and the long-standing friendly competition with her sister. Groaning, she rolled out of bed, dragged herself to the bathroom and washed her face. Picking up a hair band, she stumbled back to her room looping her hair into a high pony tail as she went. She grabbed an old (inevitably paint-spattered) t-shirt from the shelf, picked up a sporty skort lying crumpled on the floor and pulled a pair of socks out of her sock drawer. She wandered down the stairs behind the small art gallery that Jane owned and ran, and which they lived above, directly to the garage, and into her car. Although the sisters lived together, Jane always opted to run to the club and had left half an hour earlier.

Elizabeth arrived at the country club and parked close to the back entrance of the restaurant. She entered the clubhouse using her preferred route, through the kitchen's back door by the loading dock. Elizabeth had never felt entirely comfortable among the club's members, and had formed odd friendships among many of the staff instead. Mr. Bennett had been a member of the exclusive, private club for the past 20 years and the family was considered by most of the newer club members to be local gentry. While many of the other members could claim a much larger fortune than Mr. Bennett, none cared to compete with his status in the small seaside town as a local benefactor to hospitals, schools, and charities. It afforded Elizabeth and her sisters a certain status, but in truth, barely made up for the many other eccentricities of the Bennett family. Mrs. Bennett was tolerated by the women at the club and some were actually fond of her, but she was far too silly to be taken seriously most of the time. Jane and Elizabeth's three younger sisters were respectively painfully awkward, annoyingly immature and embarrassingly forward, in descending order. While this tended to be the general impression among members and staff alike, Jane and Elizabeth were universally liked, and therefore were often kept in the dark as to the specifics of their siblings' and parents' behavior.

Greeting the breakfast staff as she entered the kitchen, Elizabeth wound her way around the preparation tables to the door that entered the restaurant's dining room, grabbing a croissant from a cooling rack along the way. Typically this early in the morning very few members were to be found in the restaurant's dining room. Some might stop in to pick up their own coffee and pastries, but most chose to sit at the tables outside and be served by the wait staff. As she reached the double-swinging doors she was greeted by an older woman in an apron who was busily rolling out pastry dough, "Don't fill up on croissants now Lizzie. I'll have a batch of mini peach, apple and berry pies coming out of the oven by the time you've reached the 18th hole."

"That sounds delicious Mrs. Hill, but probably not what I should be eating for breakfast", she replied, grinning at her favorite chef.

As she spoke, she turned and pushed her back against the door. Elizabeth was an average height, slender, young woman, but she put quite a bit of heft into her movement from years of familiarity with that particular door. It swung open rather faster and more forcefully than she had anticipated, and equally suddenly, stopped short with a bang and a loud grunt originating from the other side.

As the door swung back to reveal its unexpected obstruction, Elizabeth found herself facing a man she had never seen before, who pinched the bridge of his injured nose and grunted again in pained surprise. Elizabeth gasped an instinctive "Excuse me" as the stranger frowned and barked at her, "Watch where you are going!" She tried to begin again, "I am so sorry…" but this time was cut off by the arrival of the club manager.

"Do you require any assistance Sir?" he asked, and then as the man shook his head, he turned to Elizabeth, smirked and queried, "I didn't see your name on the staff roster for the breakfast shift today, Elizabeth". The stranger directed his only comment to the manager, "I'd be grateful if you would train your staff in a little grace and better attentiveness." and then strode away without listening to the response.

"Oh no, Sir, she doesn't actually work here. May I introduce you to…" Turning back to her with a mortified look he said, "Sorry Elizabeth. I should have worded that a little differently".

"No, no, Anthony, point taken. I'll try to remember to only use the front entrance in future."

"But I've given that fellow quite the wrong impression of you."

"I don't care about that, really," she insisted, "Surely you have known me long enough to know that the opinion of a stranger doesn't matter to me. And I can already judge that he would be someone I don't wish to know. He really overdid it with the 'grace and attentiveness' don't you think?

Anthony smirked again. He had not achieved, and retained, his position of employment without learning to always keep his opinions to himself. However, he was never entirely able to suppress the occasional outburst, especially to one of the two elder Bennett sisters.

"Well he is just the guest of a new member here, and beyond this week he is not likely to be frequenting our plain, provincial little club."

"Ouch," replied Elizabeth. "We are a little unsophisticated for the big-city gentleman, are we?"

"Perhaps that was not his spoken opinion, but it was most certainly that of the lady in his party".

Remembering himself, Anthony changed the subject, "I have two messages for you, Lizzie. The first is Jane arrived 10 minutes ago and is at the driving range waiting for you. The second is that Mrs. Lucas has been looking for you for the past day or two. She is extremely anxious to take possession of the two paintings you are apparently donating for the silent auction at tomorrow evening's gala".

Elizabeth wasn't planning to attend the charity gala, but she had promised she would contribute to the silent auction. Mrs. Lucas had been very particular about the two paintings she wanted, and Elizabeth suspected her motives. Elizabeth was beginning to become quite a renowned local artist, but Mrs. Lucas refused to be seen going into Jane's gallery to buy anything painted by Elizabeth. Despite the Bennetts and Lucases being family friends for as many years as Elizabeth could remember, Mrs. Lucas and Mrs. Bennett could not bear to appear to think more highly of the other's children than of her own. Acquiring a painting during a benefit for the local children's hospital would be quite an acceptable alternative to openly admitting her admiration of Elizabeth's talent to Mrs. Bennett!

"Thanks Anthony. I'll seek her out after breakfast." And with that, Elizabeth headed to the ladies' locker room to pick up her golf bag, and went to find her sister.

Jane Bennett was still at the driving range, waiting for her sister to arrive. It was never difficult to find Jane, especially at the club. Wherever she went, men were sure to follow. Elizabeth had more than once made the claim that if she could not find Jane in a crowd she just had to follow the gaze of any man standing in range. It was as reliable as following a GPS tracker. She observed this was just as true today as she sauntered down the hill toward Jane's location. There was Jane, looking like she had just finished a modeling assignment for new sportswear, instead of having just run all the way from their apartment.

"What a disappointment", Elizabeth thought to herself, "Only two men are in attendance today." And then she realized with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment that one of the two was the man whose nose she had inadvertently injured not ten minutes ago. Thankfully Jane saw her from a distance, waved and reached for her bag. Elizabeth stopped in her tracks and waited for Jane to join her, then the two young women headed back the way Elizabeth had come toward the first tee.

"Hi Janey, gathering new admirers I see." Elizabeth gained endless enjoyment from teasing her elder sister. Jane's charms were effortless and she was often completely unaware of the effect she had on men. She was by nature very cautious and composed, even as a young girl, and this was possibly the only reason she had not left a trail of broken hearts behind her everywhere she went.

Jane grinned, "Did you see that one guy Lizzie; the one with the sandy colored hair? His name is Charlie and he has just signed a lease for a year on the Northfield mansion down on Hertford Beach". Her eyes sparkled and she blushed at her sister, who laughed and responded,

"Oh Janey, I can't tease you about your new devotees if you actually notice them yourself!"

The first hole was unoccupied, so they began their game without delay. There was no question that Jane could beat Elizabeth on the golf course any day of the week, but they rarely paid close attention to their overall scores, preferring to track best individual shot per hole, just as they had when they were 9 and 11 years old. In the 16 years that they had been playing this way, Elizabeth had once achieved a coveted hole-in-one, which she openly admitted to be by sheer fluke and on a very short par 3 hole, but Jane insisted that until she managed the same Lizzie would be the better shotmaker. In fact, both girls played very much according to their personalities, and so it was extremely unlikely that Jane would ever risk a drive that fervent, just as it was equally unlikely that Elizabeth would ever have the composure or patience to improve her putting.

Their game followed its own typical pattern, but by the time they reached the green of the fifth hole Elizabeth found herself growing agitated with her sister's slow and measured approach to each ball.

"Really, Jane, aren't you planning on going to work at all this morning? Can we pick up the pace just a little please?"

Jane threw a glance behind her shoulder and blithely replied, "Oh yes Lizzie. I think the pace is going to liven up in a minute". She grinned at Elizabeth as the latter looked back toward the tee and saw the two men from the driving range waiting for them to sink their putts and move off the green.

"Shall we invite them to play through?" Jane asked innocently.

Elizabeth's only response was to sigh and roll her eyes. With no more encouragement required, Jane ran back to the tee and chatted for a couple of minutes with her new friends. Elizabeth tried to focus on her putt, but her irritation at being so neatly played by her sister affected her control and she double-bogeyed the hole.

In the end, Jane and Charlie mutually connived for the two couples to join and play the remainder of the course together. Charlie was clearly very happy with this solution. Jane was modestly satisfied as well, but it took someone like her sister to see that she was quite affected by this man. Knowing this for the rare occasion that it was, Elizabeth was more than willing to accommodate the change in plan. However the fourth person in the party was obviously not of the same mindset and, after introductions, resumed playing with barely another word to anyone.

"This is my sister Lizzie; Elizabeth," Jane immediately corrected herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Elizabeth. I'm Charles Bingley, but please call me Charlie." He reached out his hand and shook hers cheerfully. Pointing his golf club at his friend, he said, "And this is my friend, Will Darcy."

"We've already had a meeting of sorts." Will said brusquely, but did not elaborate on his statement and instead moved toward the tee to resume playing.

Elizabeth was left to explain to Jane and Charlie, "I bumped into him inside, in the restaurant. And when I say 'I bumped into him' I mean 'the door I was opening met his nose'." She grinned and continued, "I'm afraid I am utterly graceless and chronically inattentive." and with that she threw a quick glance at Will. He didn't appear to recognize his own words in her self-criticism, but Charlie immediately jumped to her defense.

"Oh I am sure it was an accident and Will doesn't look permanently affected by it anyway." he assured her. "I've done far worse to him over the years, especially during school and college football. In fact a real broken nose might actually have made him better looking."

"_Oh dear,"_ Elizabeth thought to herself, _"Here's the perfect man for Jane. She sees only the good in everyone, and he must encourage and reassure everyone within his reach." _

But Charlie's joke about Will's appearance seemed to put the subject into Elizabeth's mind and for the remainder of the course she struggled to keep herself from repeatedly glancing at him. She told herself it was because his features were so strong and determined and he would make a good study for her to sketch sometime. But occasionally when she glanced up, she found him looking intently at her. He barely spoke a civil word, however, and so she interpreted his gaze to be critical in nature.

"_He probably still thinks I work at the club. How self-important and snobbish must this man be to think himself too good to play with a club employee." _she reflected. To her sister and Charlie, she spoke up and joked, "I do believe Will is unhappy that he is being beaten on this course by the hired help."

"What do you mean Lizzie?" Jane responded.

"Oh, an attempt at humor over our collision inside fell a bit flat with Will, and he walked away thinking that I was part of the kitchen staff." Elizabeth grinned at Will, who frowned and said,

"Well, yes. That and the fact that you have pasta sauce splattered all over yourself. Don't you have the good sense to wear an apron when you are cooking?"

Elizabeth chuckled, but Jane was mortified for both Will and Elizabeth and immediately tried to resolve the confusion.

"Lizzie is a painter, and I have begged her several times to keep her work clothes only for work." She continued, as much from pride in her sister, as habit for marketing her business. "And I am the curator of a small art gallery at the north end of the boardwalk in town. I always have a few of Lizzie's pieces on my wall if you would like to see them. Then again, a few of the paintings inside the clubhouse are hers as well."

They returned to the clubhouse together and parted at the front entry of the building. The men headed directly to an outdoor table, while the women went indoors to shower and change, only after Charlie had received their assurances that they would rejoin the men immediately afterward for breakfast.

Elizabeth began searching for excuses to beg off once they were inside.

"But Lizzie, you only just told Charlie you'd stay. He's already ordering coffee for us." said Jane.

"I sincerely doubt he would notice whether I was there or not Janey. I think he's rather focused on someone else." she said, "And anyway, if I leave then maybe his rude friend might also take the hint and leave the two of you to yourselves."

Jane assured her sister that her presence was not only desired, but it was required. "I can't possibly go back out there on my own Lizzie. I wouldn't be half so comfortable or relaxed if you weren't there with me".

Elizabeth marveled at her sister's capacity to lie so blatantly. It normally wasn't a quality that would be associated with Jane. She was a confident woman whose success in the growth of her art gallery was due in equal parts to her work experience in New York and London, her good eye for artwork, and her great ability to converse with just about anybody and make them feel at ease.

"And I am sure Will was just uncomfortable after mistaking you for an employee. Give him a chance. He's probably just not used to making new acquaintances and friends."

They walked back outside together and found Charlie and Will ordering omelets, juice and coffee. The young waiter noted their arrival and asked for their order, then departed quietly and efficiently. Conversation flowed comfortably among Charlie, Jane and Elizabeth, but Will remained aloof and restrained. Charlie, however, more than made up for his friend.

"Have you been out to Hertford Beach? It is just beautiful there. I will only be able to come down here from New York as often as work allows, but I really look forward to waking up at the beach in a small town this summer."

"That beach is one of my favorite places to sketch," said Elizabeth. "There is a spot up in the dunes where you can sit and watch the sailboats come around the headland and into the marina. At sunset the sky is sometimes so brilliant that it's almost impossible to capture. But I have to disagree with your choice of season. Late Fall is by far the best time to spend there."

Charlie in his accommodating manner assured her that he was looking forward to living there through all of the seasons, and hoped his venture outside of the city would prove to be successful and lead to something more permanent.

Again, Elizabeth became aware of Will staring at her with a frowning intensity. Not to be intimidated by his gaze, she turned to look him full in the face and stared back at him. She registered that he was slightly surprised, but he didn't break eye contact with her.

The moment, whatever it was, was interrupted by the arrival of Mrs. Lucas.

"Lizzie, oh Lizzie, thank goodness I've found you! Did you bring the canvases? I want them hanging on the wall no later than this afternoon in preparation for the big day tomorrow."

Jane introduced Charlie and Will to Mrs. Lucas who deduced the significance of the arrival of new blood to the club and switched gears instantly. Within her first sentences she deftly slipped in the information that she had two single daughters of some significant wealth, and that they would be in attendance at tomorrow evening's event. This didn't seem to have the desired effect however, as Charlie's reaction was to turn immediately to Jane and inquire whether she would also be going.

"Of course she'll be there," Mrs. Lucas chimed in, "It's a tradition among the Bennett family. You'll have the pleasure of meeting Jane's lovely parents and all of her other sisters. There are five girls, you know." Mrs. Lucas herself couldn't tell whether she was aiming to turn Charlie off Jane with the prospect of her large, estrogen-rich family, or whether she was just overly excited and unable to stop gushing, after having planned this event for the past two months.

Jane interjected and dampened the excitement a little, at least for Charlie, "I am not sure yet whether I'll be able to make it. I have a conflict in my calendar that I am unable to resolve. But I am sure my parents and my other sisters will all be there".

Elizabeth observed Charlie's face fall ever so slightly, and not for the first time felt sympathy for another poor sap who had fallen under her beautiful sister's spell.

Slightly disconcerted, but still aiming to please, Charlie responded, "Well, I am sure we would love to come and use the opportunity to meet some more people. It will be a happy bonus if we should be lucky enough to see you there as well." and he carefully and considerately included Elizabeth in his remark.

Soon afterward, the party of new friends broke up, Charlie and Will heading back to the house to continue unpacking, and Jane and Elizabeth driving together back home, only after satisfying Mrs. Lucas with the delivery of her two precious auction items.

On the way home, Elizabeth quizzed Jane.

"What conflict in your calendar could possibly keep you from going to the gala tomorrow night? After that ruse you pulled out on the course to get them to join us, I cannot believe that you would be entertaining notions of another date over seeing Charlie again!"

"But Lizzie, don't you remember that I promised I would stop by to visit Marcia and her new baby tomorrow?"

"Surely you can do that in the morning or afternoon, and still have plenty of time to get all dressed up for the evening at the club as well".

"I guess so. But I thought she might need help with laundry or cooking and I can't say for sure when I'll be done there."

"You might have mentioned that was the reason. You gave Charlie the impression that he has some competition for you."

Jane protested that he couldn't possibly have jumped to that conclusion, and Elizabeth rolled her eyes once again at Jane's naivety. They arrived at home and parked the car. The sisters blew each other flamboyant kisses – another long-held tradition between them – then went in different directions, Jane to open the gallery and Elizabeth up the back steps which led to the apartment.

The building which housed the sisters' apartment and gallery had three floors. The first two levels were for the gallery and shop front and the third accommodated the apartment. From this floor, Elizabeth took a further flight of stairs which led out to the building's roof, and to an odd little conservatory structure which she used as her art studio. It was quite serviceable, but not for the faint of heart during any kind of storm.

Propping herself on the edge of a stool, Elizabeth stared at the canvas of her current project. After a minute or two of silent contemplation, she removed it from the easel, replaced it with a large sketch pad, and began sketching the face of a man, with a rugged jawline, and deeply intense gaze.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: The Gala **~ wherein we meet Caroline Bingley, and Elizabeth overhears Will's callous and condescending remarks about her._

* * *

Jane made it back home from visiting her friend in plenty of time the next day. She climbed the stairs to the rooftop studio looking for Elizabeth.

"Come on you goose! You know, it's a good thing you live with someone. You would never get anywhere on time without constant reminders."

Elizabeth paused in her sketching, and stared at her sister blankly.

"...the gala, Lizzie. Hadn't you better go and shower? I know people make allowances for you being eternally paint covered, but surely you can make an effort for this evening?"

"But I'm not going Jane! I thought I had told you that ages ago."

"Oh, I knew you weren't intending to go before yesterday, but I assumed you had changed your mind when you were trying so hard to convince me to go too."

Jane paused and waited for Elizabeth to respond, but she remained silent and wide-eyed, slowly shaking her head. Finally she spoke.

"You have the opportunity of seeing Charlie tonight. Nothing has changed for me, and I still feel uncomfortable about being there while my paintings are up for auction. How humiliating it will be if no one bids on them! Ugh, Jane, my stomach is turning flips just at the thought!"

Jane exclaimed at the absurdity of her fears, and walked over to Elizabeth to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. Unexpectedly, Elizabeth grabbed the sketch pad on her easel and flipped it over so that Jane couldn't see what she had been working on. Blushing at Jane's expression of surprise mingled with curiosity, she told her sister the picture was too preliminary to show anyone.

Jane frowned and looked closer at her sister,

"You almost never apply that rule to me Lizzie. What is it? Can't I just have a little peek?"

"Not if we are going to be ready on time!"

Elizabeth grabbed her sister and pushed her toward the door. Her split-second change of mind about the gala took Jane's attention, and the mystery work-in-progress was left forgotten on the easel. It was worth it to Elizabeth to suffer through the evening rather than suffer the embarrassment of admitting to Jane her indefinable interest in the face of that arrogant, condescending man from yesterday. The fact that he was likely to be in attendance tonight was not lost on her, but at the moment, Elizabeth honestly believed herself to be fascinated by his chiseled, masculine features from the detached perspective of an artist. She just didn't think it would be possible to convince her sister of that fact.

Forty-five minutes later, both sisters stood in front of each other admiring their combined efforts. Jane had lifted her honey-blonde hair into an elegant updo, leaving large tendrils softly curling around her face. She wore a sophisticated one-shoulder gown in navy silk which continued the diagonal sweep in pleats that traveled from the bodice to the floor-length hem. Her grace and style looked effortless, which Elizabeth noted it really was. She could not have looked more beautiful if she had spent the entire day at a salon being manicured, styled and made up.

Elizabeth's choice of dress was a simple, calf-length deep violet, which she had borrowed from Jane. It was cut with a chic square neckline and fitted bodice until it reached her waist where it flared out over her hips, highlighting her curves while making her feel well covered and comfortable. Best of all, she was able to wear and flaunt the one piece of fashion that she was most vulnerable to - a pair of high heel, strappy gold sandals that she had bought when visiting Jane in London. Her cinnamon-brown hair which was always pulled back into a ponytail had, at Jane s urging, been clasped at the nape of her neck with a simple jeweled barrette and she had even succumbed to Jane's ministrations with a straightening iron bringing an incredible shine and luster to it.

As they arrived at the gala, they were directed to a table to register for the silent auction and were each given a note card with a bidder number on it. Elizabeth waved her card like a fan in front of her face.

"At least I'll be none the wiser when Dad puts a mercy bid on my paintings," she grinned at Jane, "Then again, I'll know it's him when there is only one bid."

"Lizzie, cut it out! I know for a fact that there will be lots of interest for your paintings," Jane assured her sister.

Entering the room that contained the auction items, they first heard, then saw their two younger sisters who spied them immediately and came running over.

"You two look fantastic!" Lydia enthused, then gave a twirl and asked, "What do you think of this little red number of mine? I bought it today; knew I had to have it even before I had tried it on."

She was wearing a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. The massive pleated bow at her hip was bold and sassy, but the dress ended well above her knee; in fact, it ended barely below her backside.

Kitty joined them, half a beat behind their youngest sister.

"I told her she looks like a tramp in that thing. You should have seen Dad s face when he saw her!"

"How on earth were you even allowed to set foot outside the house in that?" asked Jane, eyes wide in horror.

"And WHY on earth would you want to?" added Elizabeth.

"Oh come on girls, if you ve got it, flaunt it, right? And Dad rolls his eyes for just about anything, but he ll never actually put his foot down, especially when Mom has already endorsed it." said Lydia, happily wriggling around, aware that there were several young men in the room who were unable to stop watching her.

A discernable hush fell over the room and Elizabeth searched to find the cause. Standing at the entrance were Charlie and Will, with a very richly dressed woman between them.

"Don't look now Janey, but your prince has arrived." Elizabeth teased her sister.

Jane did not look, but Kitty and Lydia did, and without a shred of subtlety between them.

"Which one do you have dibs on Janey?" Lydia asked, not at all quietly.

"Lydia!" Jane and Elizabeth both whispered, the former distraught and the latter furious.

Elizabeth relaxed a little when she saw that Charlie had not appeared to hear the comment. However, his friend clearly had, and he glared at the little group of conspirators.

Lydia laughed and said, "I approve, Jane. At least he looks like he's capable of having a good time, not like Mr. Fun-Free-Zone next to him."

To avoid further inappropriate comments being made within earshot, Elizabeth linked her arm through her little sister's.

"Let's get a drink Lydia," and she hauled her to the other end of the room where the bar was set up.

After arming herself with a white wine spritzer, Elizabeth wandered among friends and acquaintances, casually conversing but keeping an eye on Jane who had been joined by Charlie and Will and was apparently being introduced to the woman. Her attention was redirected with the arrival of her girlfriend Charlotte who saw her immediately, waved and walked over to her.

"Char! I didn't know you were going to be here. Are you down for the weekend?"

Charlotte Lucas had been good friends with Elizabeth since they were in primary school together. She now lived in New York and was working her way up the ranks of a midsized, reputable law firm.

"Yes. I know how much work my mother put into this bash, and I am doing the obedient daughterly thing by supporting her."

The two friends found a nook with a cushioned bench and a large plant which partially blocked them from the throng in the main part of the room, and sat down to catch up on the past several weeks since they had last seen each other. For ten or fifteen minutes the two were completely engrossed in news and friendly gossip. However, upon the first pause in their conversation, Elizabeth realized that Charlie, Will and their sparkling companion had taken up station on the other side of the plant. She found it much harder to concentrate on Charlotte with them there, and upon hearing Jane's name mentioned she admitted defeat and focused her full attention on the other party.

"I would caution you to exercise some self-control Charles," said Will, "You only met her yesterday, and you're already at the point of professing love."

The woman identifying herself as Charlie's sister agreed, "Will is right, little brother. She is certainly the prettiest girl in the room, but that's hardly saying much for this squalid little back-water place you have brought us to."

Charlie responded in exasperation, "I've had enough nagging from you Caroline. If you don't like this town and these people, then why don't you go back to New York? And let me correct you on another thing. Jane is nothing short of exquisite, and she is an excellent golfer to boot. What more could I possibly want in my soul-mate?

"And on that note, I wish to inform you that I plan to have some fun and meet some people tonight. If you two want to stand here just observing then feel free, but I think I saw a yacht charter that I want to bid on, and I want to find those paintings that Jane's sister donated. I wonder if they might suit my new house."

With that, Charlie moved off, leaving Caroline and Will to make conversation between themselves. Elizabeth grinned at Charlotte who had listened along with her and they resumed their gossip as well.

Presently Charlie came back announcing, "Well, I have been around the room and have put bids on a few interesting things. I haven't seen Elizabeth's paintings yet, but apparently they are set up in the ball room with some other art pieces.

"If I get that yacht charter Will, you will have to extend your absence from the office by a week. How's this for a vacation - sailing north along the New England coastline in a luxury 110 ft yacht, complete with five guest cabins, and three crew to attend to our every need."

Caroline enthusiastically agreed, "That sounds wonderful. It would be the three of us, and perhaps Louisa and Rick, and who else from the New York set might be available?"

"Well, of course you two and Lou and her husband are welcome, but I have another woman in mind," said Charlie, glancing over to where Jane stood talking with her father. "What do you say Will, should we invite any of her other sisters? Elizabeth is very pretty and Jane might be more inclined to accept the invitation if she has someone with her."

This last comment caught both Charlotte's and Elizabeth's attention immediately, and they fell silent waiting for the response.

"You certainly don't need to on my behalf. She has no beauty that would attract me. You should know by now that my type of woman is rather more driven in her career than to tool around pretending to be a painter. I suspect she's the average-talent type who was pampered by her parents into imagining herself artistic but is actually only supported by the influence of her parents in this small town."

"Oh be fair Will, you haven't even seen any of her works yet." said Charlie

"I imagine that boring predictable watercolor sunset over there is probably hers. Didn't Jane say this club proudly displays her wares?"

Caroline laughed loudly and effusively at Will's comment.

Elizabeth overheard it all. She sat there frozen as emotions of embarrassment and hurt washed over her, to be replaced by a low-burning, white-hot fury at the man. Next to Jane she was no striking beauty, but she was comfortable in her looks and believed herself to be pretty. She had received that compliment often enough through school and college - maybe more often from the mothers of her boyfriends than from those boys themselves, but still enough to have learned to be happy with her looks. But to question her seriousness about painting? And to imagine that her parents had indulged this career of hers?

Elizabeth had been naturally creative from a young age. She quickly surpassed all that her high school art teachers were capable of teaching her, and had followed her older sister to college to major in Art History. But while Jane's interest leaned more toward curating and valuating art, Elizabeth's creative skills continued to be explored and honed. Her mother could not relate or understand and so had never supported her, instead choosing to pay attention to the aspirations of Elizabeth's other sisters. She did not doubt her mother's love, but she knew she was never a favorite child. Her father had only come around to supporting Elizabeth's vocation after she had proved she was capable of surviving on an income from her work. That was only truly possible because of Jane, who was the only person to have steadfastly believed in her, encouraged her and even financially supported her.

Even today, she would not be able to afford to do what she did if she hadn't moved in with Jane so that they could split living expenses. And Jane was Lizzie's own publicity agent, always having room in the gallery to show her work, and recommending them proudly to locals and tourists alike. She had received no assistance at all from her parents or their friends. Most of the attention beginning to grow around her was from Jane's and her own hard work of pounding pavements and begging local restaurants to show her work or even gifting them a painting in the hope of garnering the interest of tourists. Getting foot traffic into Jane's gallery was their primary aim, and they were just beginning to see the success of their strategy.

Elizabeth was jolted back to the moment, by Charlotte's hand on her arm,

"Come on Lizzie, we've heard enough. Let's go and refill these glasses."

The two moved away from the conversation and back toward the bar to replenish their drinks.

Elizabeth's playfulness soon came to the fore and with just a little bit of bite and a lot of humor she shared her story with her sisters and her father. By the end of the evening everyone within the Bennetts circle, which was almost the entire room had heard of Darcy s rudeness and injustice in his presumptions about Elizabeth and her paintings.

Caroline had made it a priority to go and confirm the painter of the insipid watercolor that Will had suggested was Elizabeth's. To her disappointment the name painted in the lower right corner was clearly not Bennett and she chose not to enlighten him of his mistake.

However, Will's error was pointed out to him before the evening was over. After wandering through the two rooms containing the auction items, he was drawn to a couple of bold oil paintings. They were seascapes, but painted from unusual vantage points. One was a scene of waves cresting and breaking on the beach. The aggressive movement of the water was beautifully captured, and combined with the light and shadow it suggested a stormy night. The second painting showed the same storm, in mostly the same hues, but this image was almost all sky, with one sharp bolt of lightning reaching down to the water, lighting up the surface. As he moved closer to them, he instinctively knew they were hers, and he knew equally well that he had to have them.

Charlie joined Will soon after he returned to the bar and buffet.

"Did you see Elizabeth's paintings? They are really extraordinary, and of course I placed a bid on both. I don't think I have any chance though. Every time I return to them I see that someone has outbid me. They are possibly the most popular items in the entire auction."

Will smiled at his friend, "I did see them and I stand corrected about her talent. She is certainly a lot maturer in her style than I would have suspected for someone so young."

Charlie laughed, "She's probably only a few years younger than us Will. Jane is two years younger than me, and Lizzie is next after her. Your talk of 'mature for her age' makes you sound like you're in your 40s!"

Across the room, Elizabeth was being accosted by her mother.

"Lizzie, your two pictures are the talk of the whole evening! I had told Daddy he would have to bid $50 on them so you weren't too embarrassed tonight, but it looks like there is a three bidder war going on, and the bids last time I looked were over $600 each."

Elizabeth was so surprised that she looked around quickly and sank into the closest free seat she could find.

Jane, who had been standing with her almost jumped up and down with glee. "I told you, I told you! You do beautiful work and people are really starting to notice you."

She morphed into Business-Woman Jane at once, "We have to consider restructuring all our pricing on those pieces we show in the gallery. And, we have to work on that plan to get you a gallery showing in New York. I'll start putting out feelers with my contacts there next week."

It was too much for Elizabeth, and she began to feel claustrophobic. "$600 for those two paintings, and they aren't even my best work".

"That's $600, each sweetheart," her mother reminded her.

Raising a hand to her temple she said, "I think I really let the stress get to me tonight. I have developed quite a headache. Jane, can you get a lift home with someone? I think I need to get outside and breathe for a while, and I have a sudden burning desire to get back to that sketch I was working on."

Jane and Mrs. Bennett both had enough experience with Elizabeth's sudden creative urges to know better than try to convince her to stay. Jane's only caution to Elizabeth as she left was to remind her of the cost of the dress she was wearing.

"If you head up to your rooftop sanctum, just promise me you will change out of that dress first."

About an hour after bidding closed, Mrs. Lucas stepped up on stage to a podium to announce the winning bids and the amount of money that the event had raised for the local childrens hospital.

Charlie did indeed win the week-long yacht charter, and he smiled broadly and looked about the room for Jane. Will put a hand on his arm and advised him, "Why don't you wait until Monday to invite her. You don't want to scare her away with thoughts of being stuck with a stalker for a week with with no escape."

Charlie saw the wisdom of his friend's warning and settled back to listen to the remainder of the announcements.

Each item's winner was applauded, but as Mrs. Lucas turned to the inventory of art pieces that were auctioned, interest in the announcements increased until finally the entire room was silent awaiting news of the final bid for Elizabeth's paintings, and who that bidder might be.

"And now, I think everyone is aware of the bidding war that erupted over Lizzie Bennett's two paintings. They were won by the same person, and for the same price. A truly remarkable amount of money, considering our young artist is only known to us locally and she doesn't have much of a following beyond the residents of this town."

"The two paintings in Ms. Bennett's 'Stormy Seas' series are sold to William Darcy for the incredible combined price of $3, 200!"

The room erupted in loud applause and Will slowly stood and nodded his acknowledgement of the enthusiastic response. As he retrieved his seat again, Charlie leaned over to him and whispered,

"Had I known I was bidding against you, I would have given up long ago. I have never known you to fail at getting something you want."

Over her brother's shoulder, Caroline glared jealously at Will, her emotions openly displayed on her face for once, rather than the controlled expression of disdain which she normally presented.

After changing out of her dress into sweat pants and a t-shirt, Elizabeth headed up to the rooftop and into her studio.

Her sketch pad beckoned and she walked slowly toward it, frowning all the while. She turned the pad over and looked at the face she had been forming out of her charcoals. She still saw the rugged beauty of that jawline, the tenderness of those lips. But the eyes held an arrogance that she hadn't noticed before. There was cynicism, and pride in the look which Elizabeth could not remove from her view and which she did not admire at all.

Decisively, she tore the page from the book, rolled it up and shoved it into the large bin that stood to the side of the easel. Then she turned out the light and went back downstairs to the apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3 **~ wherein we learn about Charlotte's decision to forego her career for her man._

* * *

She was sitting on the warm sand with her sketch book on her lap. The weather was perfect: a hot, sunny day that was kept just this side of scorching by the cooling breeze that came off the water, bringing with it the smell and taste of salt. She had succumbed to the lure of the sun and had taken off her t-shirt, and was now wearing only a red bikini top and white denim shorts.

_Funny, she didn't own a pair of red bikinis._

She felt his presence before she heard him. She tried to ignore him for as long as she could. The gall of the man! He knew she came out to these dunes to sketch and it was clear that he was here just to distract and annoy her. Just because his friend's house was on this beachfront did not mean that he owned this beach. She had as much, or more, right to be here as this rude, arrogant man.

She could feel him behind her, and she stiffened as he kneeled on her beach towel. He didn't say a word to her, but reached out and ran his fingers lightly along her shoulder then down her arm. She continued sketching, refusing to acknowledge him as his fingers grew bolder and more assured, tracing her shoulder blades, back up over her shoulders, along her collarbone and finally combing through her loose, windswept hair.

_Strange, she always kept her hair in a ponytail when she was drawing._

Without realizing it, she sighed deeply, closed her eyes and dropped her charcoal on the sand beside her. He continued stroking her back, pausing to untie her bikini at her neck and then at her back. As the tiny garment fell away, she opened her eyes and looked directly into his intense, smoldering gaze.

_When did he move from behind her to in front of her?_

He wore no shirt and she reached out to touch his chest as if she could not help her fingers' curiosity. His skin was smooth, but the muscles underneath were rock hard, and she was instantly aware of the latent energy they stored. She ran both hands over his skin, around to the back of his neck, along the line of his jaw and as she tangled her fingers in his thick, dark hair she pulled his face closer bringing his lips toward hers.

Now he was sitting on the beach towel and she was on his lap, straddling him. The feel of his bare skin sparked electric jolts across her breasts and she rocked against him, owning his lips with hers. She paused for breath and he used the moment of separation to direct his attention away from her mouth, down her neck, propping her higher on his thighs so that he could reach her nipples. She felt an instant tingling response begin to warm her crotch and she rubbed against him to relieve the sensation. He licked and teased at her hardened buds and she responded by grinding harder against him.

She reached between them and undid the button of her shorts, raising herself up off his legs to ease the fabric down. His hands were around her waist, lifting her...

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Lizzie! Charlotte is on the phone for you. ...are you awake, Liz?"

Elizabeth woke with a start, shocked out of her dream by Jane knocking on her bedroom door and calling again to her. She was breathing hard and as she ran a hand through her hair, she realized she was shaking.

"Uh, just woke up Jane. Can you tell her I'll call her back in 15 minutes?"

Rolling over in her bed, Elizabeth sighed, struggling with the typical Monday morning blues, and pondered her very sexy dream. It wasn't often that she dreamed at all, let alone something as intimate as that. She didn't even try to analyze why her subconscious had chosen Will Darcy to gratify her.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

He had worked late at the office again. He unlocked his door and entered the darkened apartment. He didn't bother to turn on any lights, but headed left down the hall directly to his bedroom. She wasn't there, but he saw light escaping under the bathroom door, and smiled to himself. Crossing the room, he loosened his tie and shed his jacket on the floor behind him.

Entering the bathroom, he was engulfed in the steam from the shower. He completed undressing, opened the shower door and stepped inside. She was waiting for him and as he stood under the running water she silently began soaping him, rubbing her hands all over his body. She attended to his chest, lowered her focus to his abdomen, and then moved lower again, and he leaned back against the tile wall as she dropped to her knees in front of him.

She dug her fingers into his buttocks as she ran her tongue along the length of him. He groaned as he felt the pressure building inside him with her deliberately slow rhythm. He loved the sensation but he needed to take back control so he turned off the water, lifted her up and out of the shower and carried her across to the vanity. He sat her on the countertop and spread her knees apart. She responded willingly, wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him close.

Winding his fingers through her hair he tugged her head back and kissed her deeply, possessively, demandingly. She was driving him crazy with her throaty murmurs and sighs. He plunged hard into her, catching her by surprise and causing her to cry out her pleasure. He drew back and then rocked forward again watching her beautiful, expressive eyes as she was lost to her own rapture.

He ignored the knocking on the door, and continued his long, hard strokes in and out of her. But the knocking continued, and as she dissolved in front of him, he groaned, rolled over in bed and yelled his frustration into the pillow.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Will? Hey Darcy, this is all the wake up call you're going to get. Come on man, you insisted you wanted to come down to the marina with me this morning."

Will responded to Charlie's pestering by scooping up his shoe from the floor beside the bed and hurling it at the closed door.

Dragging himself out from under the sheets, he headed to the en suite bathroom to shower, unable to shake the image of her compelling eyes or the sensation of having her legs wrapped tightly around him.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Elizabeth stepped into the restaurant and paused, looking around to see if Charlotte had already arrived. She saw her friend waving at her from a table toward the back of the room and made her way back there.

"Hey there Char, did I keep you waiting long?"

"No, it's fine Lizzie. I came early to get out of the house and away from Mom and Dad's disapproval."

"Uh oh, is this about the big news you had to share?"

"Yes, but I am quite nervous now that you will have the same reaction as my parents." She paused and looked down at her hands for a moment, then back up into Elizabeth's face. "Promise me you will listen to all that I have to tell you before you react."

"Okay Charlotte, of course I'll hear you out. You definitely have my undivided attention now!"

Charlotte had clearly rehearsed this conversation and the words began spilling from her mouth at once, in an obvious effort to get it over with.

"You know that Peter and I have been seeing each other for a long time now," she began.

Peter had been a mutual friend of theirs at college, first showing interest in Jane, then in Lizzie, and finally, after they had all graduated he had turned his attention to Charlotte. Elizabeth pressed her lips together, unable to disguise the reaction she always seemed to have to Charlotte's unaccountable attraction to Peter Collins.

"I see the way you look when I say his name Lizzie. He's not exactly my parents' first choice for me either. I wish I could make you understand how happy we are, but I think you will alway see him as Spotty Pete from our freshman hall.

"You would have heard me say that he is a private chef now and works for Catherine DeBurgh. She and her daughter have special dietary needs due to chronic illness, and she takes Peter with her wherever she goes. She's is quite a Socialite in the Old Style and only spends 6 months of each year in New York. She is planning on taking Peter with her when she summers at her villa in Tuscany, and she usually spends winter at her Napa Valley property.

"Well Lizzie, this is where it gets really exciting! Mrs DeBurgh has made me an offer that will allow me to be able to travel with them and be with Peter all year round. I am resigning from the law firm and I am going to be Mrs. DeBurgh's personal assistant."

Elizabeth began to interrupt before she even knew she was doing it. Charlotte stopped her with a hand on her arm, "Please Lizzie, let me finish.

"I know you've already heard stories from Peter about how particular she is, but well really, I'm trading in three demanding bosses for one, and I get to be with Peter, and I get to spend my summers in Italy." She smiled weakly, which Elizabeth interpreted to mean it was her turn to speak.

Conscious of her friend's unspoken need for acceptance, if not approval, Elizabeth tried to be gentle. "But Charlotte, you're giving up your career in law, to become a... a... well, a glorified housekeeper!" Tact wasn't exactly Elizabeth's strong suit.

"It was never really a career that I wanted though Lizzie. It was just what was expected of me. If you want the truth, I am not particularly good at it, and I have certainly never enjoyed it."

"But isn't it a little crazy to be working for someone like that, when your own parents are probably almost as rich as she is?"

Charlotte gaped "Oh, not nearly that rich I assure you. Mrs DeBurgh is old money and you can't begin to fathom just how much of it there is. Besides New York, Napa and her Tuscan villa, she has an apartment in London and still retains some sort of exclusive holiday home in the Caymans. "

"Do it take it that Peter and you are talking about marriage then?"

Charlotte laughed, "Not really. But we've never been in a position where we could. Maybe that's possible now that we know we'll be together."

"But Char, a _personal assistant_? To someone who you have described to me in the past as a patronizing old witch, I might remind you!"

"Oh, trust you to remember that Lizzie! She really isn't that bad. She's just old enough and rich enough to be in the habit of getting her own way. She's actually being very accommodating, and has even called in some architects to redesign a portion of her apartment for a proper two bedroom servants' quarters for me and Peter."

Elizabeth almost choked as she repeated those words "_Servants' _quarters! Oh Charlotte, can't you hear yourself?"

Charlottes eyes began to spark with anger as she raised her chin and looked Elizabeth in the eye, "We are not all born with the desire to seek fame and fortune Elizabeth. All I want is a quiet life that brings me contentment and love. I've never been driven about my work like you. I am a boring, average girl who has lived up to every expectation my parents have ever had. I've always chosen the safe path over the unknown one. And I look in the mirror every day and loathe myself!"

"Char, I..."

"Let me finish, Lizzie! I knew I'd get this reaction from my parents, but I really had hoped that you might understand. How is it that you can't see this? Peter makes me happy! He is kind and thoughtful, and all I have to do to be with him all the time is to give up a suffocating, unpleasant job that makes me miserable. It's the least sacrifice I have ever had to make!" She stood from the table then, but before she walked away, she paused and said, "When you have had time to think it over, I hope you will understand and support what I am doing. Your friendship and opinion have always meant a lot to me."

Elizabeth sat in stunned silence as her friend left the restaurant. Eventually, after the waiter had wandered past enough times to make her self-conscious, she asked for the check and then returned to the art gallery.

Entering the gallery's front door, Elizabeth noted that Jane was occupied with a couple toward the back of the room. She collapsed onto the stylish art deco couch in the waiting area and perused an art magazine while she waited to accost Jane with this news.

Eventually, Jane walked the budding art collectors to the door assuring them she would be in touch when she had located a piece matching their description. As she shut the door, she turned to Elizabeth and gushed, "You will never believe what happened this morning Lizzie!"

Elizabeth was too tired and drained from her first piece of news today, and she didn't dare guess at Jane's announcement.

"Just as long as you aren't quitting your job and running off to Tuscany with your man," she replied, "But then again, it does depend on the man I suppose. What's your news Jane?"

"We have been invited by Charlie Bingley to go on a sailing excursion with him. I told you he won that yacht charter from Saturday night, didn't I? Well, he stopped in here after he had been down to the marina working out the details. It is a bit short notice, but it will be so much fun, and I have already asked Mary to work some days here so I don't have to close the store".

"Jane, slow down. What days are we talking about? Exactly what do you mean by 'short notice'? We aren't packing to leave tomorrow are we?"

"You will come then? Oh, I was actually nervous that you might say no, considering Charlie is bringing Will and Caroline."

"Whoa, hold up there a minute!" Jane was well aware of Elizabeth's opinions concerning those two, based entirely on those overheard conversations of two nights ago.

"Listen Lizzie, it will be a great opportunity for you too. Just think of the views you'll see and sketching you can do. We leave on Wednesday morning..."

"But that's the day after tomorrow!"

"...and we are only going to be gone until Sunday. They had to reduce the duration of the trip so that Will could come along. Apparently he has to be back to work this time next week. So Mary is covering here on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday."

The rest of the day and evening were spent with Jane badgering and begging Elizabeth until she finally relented and agreed to go.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

As Elizabeth closed her eyes and surrendered to sleep that night, she was again sitting on the warm sand, wearing a red bikini top, feeling the touch of Will's hands in her hair, on her back, around her waist ...and his lips and tongue on her aching nipples.


End file.
